Magnetic phone shooting grip review: a real pistol grip that works, until you switch phones
I mounted this shooting grip on an iPhone and then a Galaxy S26 Ultra to see if a real handheld grip beats holding a bare phone. Photo and video both worked cleanly on both phones — but re-pairing it from one phone to the other was not plug and play.
Published September 5, 2026
Tested context
Tested alongside a Bluetooth camera remote in the same session — mounted the grip on an iPhone first, paired it over Bluetooth, and ran through photo capture and starting/stopping video. Then unmounted the iPhone, mounted a Galaxy S26 Ultra, and repeated the same photo and video test on Android.
Verdict
As a handheld grip, this works exactly as advertised: the phone clips in, the hold is a natural pistol grip with your index finger landing right on the shutter, and one press starts a photo or a video recording. It worked cleanly on both an iPhone and a much bigger Galaxy S26 Ultra. The one thing that wasn't smooth was switching it from one already-paired phone to a new one — the long-press reset didn't do anything, and I had to go into Bluetooth settings and manually forget the device before it would pair again.
Pros
- The pistol-grip hold is genuinely natural — your index finger lines up on the shutter without you having to think about where to put it
- One press starts a video recording, the same press stops it — no second control to learn
- Runs on a CR2032 button cell, not a rechargeable battery — swap a fresh one in seconds instead of waiting on a charge
- Fits a large phone as well as a small one — the mount still had spare room around a Galaxy S26 Ultra, so most phones should clip in fine
Cons
- Getting the phone fully seated into the mount the first time took more force than I expected — it wasn't obviously seated until I pushed harder
- Switching the grip from one phone to another wasn't plug and play — the long-press reset did nothing, and I had to forget the device in Bluetooth settings before it would pair with the second phone
I tested two accessories in the same session — a Bluetooth camera remote and this magnetic shooting grip — because I wanted a real handheld way to trigger photos and video without holding a bare phone. The remote turned out to have real gaps. The grip did not.
Watch the full video review on YouTube.
Mounting the phone and finding the grip
The mount takes the phone in on a slide, and the first time I pushed mine in, it took more force than I expected — it genuinely wasn't obvious it was fully seated until I pushed harder. Once it's in, though, it sits flush and doesn't move.
Switching the grip on and holding it, the hand position is a real pistol grip: my index finger landed right on the shutter without me hunting for it. That's the part that actually sold me on it over just holding the phone — there's no on-screen button to aim for, your finger is already where it needs to be.
Pairing and taking photos
Pairing over Bluetooth from the iPhone's settings was straightforward. Once connected, pressing the shutter took a photo immediately — no lag, no missed presses.
Video: one press starts it, the same press stops it
Video is the same single control. One press starts the recording, and I could see the red indicator and the timer running on screen while I held the phone in the grip. Press it again and the recording stops. There's no separate mode switch to fumble with mid-shot.
The CR2032 battery beats a charging cable
The grip runs on a CR2032 button cell rather than a built-in rechargeable battery. I actually prefer this. If it runs out, I swap a fresh coin cell in and I'm back to shooting — no waiting on a charge, no separate cable to keep track of. These cells also tend to last a good while between swaps.
It also handled a much bigger Android phone
After finishing with the iPhone, I unmounted it and clipped in a Galaxy S26 Ultra — noticeably bigger than the iPhone. It went in fine, and there was still spare room in the mount around it. If it can take a phone that size with room left over, a smaller or mid-size phone should have no trouble.
Photo and video both worked the same way on Android as they had on iPhone: same shutter behavior, same one-press video start and stop.
Switching between phones is the one real friction point
This is the part that cost me actual time. The grip was already paired to the iPhone, and when I tried to connect it to the Galaxy phone, it just didn't show up as available. I tried the long-press reset that's supposed to clear the existing pairing — nothing happened, repeatedly. What actually worked was going into the iPhone's Bluetooth settings and manually forgetting the device from there, which finally freed it up to pair with the Android phone.
If you're the only person ever using this on your own phone, you'll pair it once and likely never deal with this. If you're planning to hand it between multiple phones regularly, budget a few extra minutes the first time you switch.
A quick note on the Bluetooth remote from the same test
The remote I tested alongside this grip is a separate accessory, not covered by this review — but worth a one-line flag since it shipped with advertised app shortcuts. Its TikTok, Instagram, and video-record shortcuts didn't trigger for me on either phone; only the plain camera shutter worked reliably. If a one-button social-app launch was the actual feature you wanted, know that it's a different product from this grip, and in my test it didn't do what it promised.
Who this is for
If you record yourself solo and want an actual handheld grip with a real shutter button instead of holding a bare phone or reaching for the on-screen shutter, this does the job on both iPhone and Android. If you're only ever going to pair it to one phone, the one friction point I hit won't even come up.
Skip it if you need to hand it between several phones on a regular basis — re-pairing took real troubleshooting in my test, not a quick tap. And skip it if what you actually wanted was app-launch shortcuts; that's the remote, not this grip, and those shortcuts didn't work for me.
Where to buy
I tested this unit myself. The links below are affiliate links — if you buy through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it does not change what I wrote above.
Is this for you?
Who it’s for
Anyone recording themselves solo who wants an actual handheld grip with a real shutter button, instead of holding a bare phone or fumbling with the on-screen shutter.
Who should skip it
Skip it if you plan to hand the grip between several people's phones regularly — re-pairing it to a new phone took real troubleshooting, not a quick tap. And if what actually drew you in was app-shortcut tricks like a one-button TikTok or Instagram launch, that's a different accessory (a Bluetooth remote) — and in my test, those shortcuts didn't work at all.
Watch the review
Watch the full video on YouTubeDisclosure
Hero and evidence photos are original Gadget Hunting with RR footage, captured firsthand during testing of the unit reviewed here.
This review contains an affiliate link. See our affiliate disclosure for details.